Princess
by tigerfriend1999
Summary: After the final battle of Ocarina of Time, Malon is waiting for someone she knows isn't coming back. After all, why would Link come back for a simple farm girl when he could have the princess? Malink. Fluffy like a marshmallow. Please R&R! :3


**Disclaimer: I think all of us already know that I don't own Legend of Zelda. But hey, I'm the daughter of a lawyer. I'm not taking any risks by leaving out the ever-bothersome disclaimer!**

_**Princess**_

Malon's eyelids felt like clay at the bottom of a flowing river. She'd been singing and dancing for so long, she thought her body would just wring out like a washcloth. But she couldn't go inside. Not yet...

She knew she was being ridiculous. Probably the last person he'd want to be with after his big victory was a simple-minded, plain-looking farm girl. She'd probably see him again in a few months. But...she didn't want to be just another person he visited sometimes. She wanted to be the first one he came back for, the first one to tackle him in a spine-crushing hug and congratulate him. She didn't know why she felt like that. After all, that was a job for the princess...the princess...Malon sighed and let her finger draw unidentifiable patterns in the dewy grass.

She knew what would happen. She had always known, even when they were children. It was obvious that Zelda meant a lot to Link, probably more than she could ever imagine. He'd taken an immediate liking to her as a kid, and now that they were both adults, it was more than probable that that feeling would escalate. It made sense. She was the beautiful, wise, and kind princess, he was the handsome, brave, and noble hero. Obviously, nobody could ever hold a candle to Zelda. She was perfect for Link.

And as much as she told herself this, as much as she tried to squish her affections for him, as much as she reminded herself that he didn't deserve these complications in his relationship with the princess, she couldn't help but cry when she remembered something Ingo had once said to her;

_Malon huddled in the corner, nursing her arm and whimpering slightly. "J-Just you wait!" she shouted through tears. "Link said he'd be back with my dad! And then where will your 'great lord Ganondorf' be when you're homeless and starving!"_

_"You honestly think that boy could view you as an object worth his trouble?" Ingo spat. "He doesn't care for you. No one does. Even an empty-headed vixen like yourself should have figured it out by now. You're nothing more than a servant. You aren't worth anyone's time in this world..."_

In her heart, she knew Ingo was wrong. Link had come back, just like he'd promised. And Talon returned shortly after. But Malon knew that he had been right when he said she wasn't important enough for anyone to love her. She had accepted that...ever since she was a little girl, she knew that her fantasy of a knight in shining armor fighting against all odds to come and sweep her off her feet and take her away from this hard life would remain just that...a fantasy, something she entertained herself with as she would slip from half-consciousness into dreams.

"Mal...?" Talon's voice echoed against the walls surrounding the ranch. "It's late, darlin'...past midnight...you comin' to bed?" Malon's better judgement told her to go back inside with her father and forget about Link. But the more dominant part of her heart, her hope, begged her to lapse back into her world of fantasies for just a little while longer...maybe it would help her forget him somehow...

"I'm all right, Daddy," she said, smiling to reassure him. "You go to bed, now. I want to watch the stars for a little longer. I'll come inside in a while."

"Alright, sugar," Talon chuckled, planting a kiss on her head. "Goodnight."

"'Night, Dad." Talon returned to the house, unaware of the churning emotions plaguing his daughter's mind. Malon stared up at the sky again, feeling strangely lonely. She shouldn't feel lonely...she had lots of friends, and she'd just been dancing at a party not a few hours ago. But, she felt it anyways. It's one of the weirder things that happens during life. One starts getting feelings that shouldn't be there. Like happiness after something terrible has happened. Or sadness after something wonderful. And loneliness, even when one's life is filled with the love of their family and friends. Most feelings have a purpose. They direct one's actions, for either good or bad, depending on how one chooses to use them. But then there are those seemingly misplaced emotions that don't seem to be there for any good reason. Kind of like your neighbor's chihuahua that serves no purpose other than to keep people awake at four in the morning with its incessant yapping.

Malon was lost in her own emotions and dreams, and was almost asleep by the time she heard it. She sat straight up, her breathing shallow, wondering if she'd just imagined it. There it was again. The distinct, soft flump of someone's boot on the grass. Was it...?

"Malon...?" His voice was hesitant. He was nervous. He'd never done this sort of thing before. He hadn't even seen her for quite a while, although he knew that in reality it had only been a day or two for her. But the look Malon gave him as she whirled around and actually planted those gorgeous blue eyes on him told him that he shouldn't be. This was the right time to do the right thing.

They both started running at each other at the same time, and they flopped onto the grass as they collided. Now Malon knew she wasn't dreaming. She could really feel him struggling for breath as her arms wrapped around his neck with constrictor-like grip, and his arms were around her, pushing her against him.

Link gently pushed Malon back so that he wouldn't lose his nerve. Tears stung at her eyes, and she started to say something, but he cut her off. "I...heard somewhere that you were looking for a knight in shining armor to come and get you..." For a moment, his brain panicked at the thought of the Gossip Stones being wrong. But Malon's deep blush and bewildered expression assured him that he had heard from a reliable source. He started talking again before she could ask any questions. "And...I know that I don't exactly have shining armor...and I'm not exactly a knight, but I was wondering...is the job still open?" Malon's eyes widened, and for a moment she couldn't get any answer out of her mouth other than a series of high-pitched squeaks. Finally, she nodded breathlessly.

Link felt all his nervousness wash away, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Malon tried to say something again, but he was more inclined to listen to actions rather than words. So he pulled her back in close and, in one moment where everything inside Malon's head just seemed to explode into non-existence, he gently kissed her.

After what felt like an hour but in reality was only a few seconds, he finished familiarizing himself with her lips, and they both just sat there in the moonlight, holding on to the one they each thought they could never have. After a few minutes, Link prepared himself for the hardest part of the whole evening.

"Hey, Mal?" He felt her nod against his neck. "I've been meaning to ask you...but I...um...kept forgetting...Will you marry me?" Malon gave a muffled squeak into his shoulder that sounded remotely like a "yes." Actually, it sounded a bit more like "YEEEEEESSSSSSS!" But Link didn't have time to figure it out, because she was back to kissing him in less than a second.

"...You know," she whispered after a few minutes, going back to hugging the daylights out of him. "Knights usually end up marrying the princess."

"I _am_ marrying a princess, Mal...You're my princess..."

**_The End_**

**A/N: THEM FLUFFLES! I don't care what you say, I LOVE fluff. It's so fun and so easy to write. And Malink fluff is the best fluff! If you managed to read the whole thing without vomiting, please R&R. Who cares if it's fluffy and lightweight? I don't! :P -"Niki Bogwater"**


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